Zakka Activity Pillow

So Miss Mouse has been feeling a little unsettled by this whole "school" business. Suddenly her big sisters are busy with fun activities, and she's not been entirely sure what to do about it. My parents and I have been trying some different ideas to keep her engaged during class time, and when I saw this week's Zakka project for the Patchwork, Please! sew along, I decided to turn it into something special for Mouse.

I've been dying to make this project ever since I first opened my copy of the book, but unfortunately wall space is at a premium right now. Instead, I made one envelope block, one pencil block, and one book block from Ayumi's "Books for Baby" quilt. I sewed them together and turned them into a little activity pocket pillow.

I didn't have a pillow form on hand that was the right size, so I decided to just stuff the cover itself. Honestly, if I had to do this over again, I would have made this into a separate piece and sewed my own little pillow form to put inside. Hindsight always gets me... Still, this works well enough. I can tuck flashcard rings, books, and snacks into the pockets for Mouse to find when she dances (yes, dances) into our new reading corner every morning at the start of school.

It's just a little thing, really, but sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference with kids.

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday and the Zakka Along.